sunpech.blog2018-10-09T15:36:17-05:00https://sunpech.comSteven SuwatanapongchedSan Diego Comic Con 20182018-07-27T09:00:00-05:00https://sunpech.com/2018/07/san-diego-comic-con-2018<p>Another year, another <a href="https://www.comic-con.org/cci">Comic Con</a> (SDCC) in the bag!</p>
<p>The programming for this year’s Comic Con was different than other years as some of the big studios were not there– namely Marvel Studios and HBO. I can understand Marvel Studios not being there this year, as they are between the Infinity War movies. They don’t want to give much information away in regards to how things are going to be in the coming movies and the next phase of their movie/storytelling development. I think it was a mistake for HBO not to be there with panels for Game of Thrones and Westworld– two massively popular shows right now. The former is closing on their final season next year, and Westworld just completling a huge second season and with probably many more to come.</p>
<p>The lines this year was also rather reasonable. They implemented a lottery system for autographs and exclusives which limited the insane lanes that other years had. No doubt they want fans to move around a lot more and spend more money than waiting hours in line in the convention center. However the lines for offsites are still rather long– and those are outside in the hot San Diego sun!</p>
<p>I recently got some new camera gear too. I’m moving from Canon to Sony. So now I’m shooting with a <a href="https://amzn.to/2uQwN0P">Sony a7iii</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2mKN2rQ">Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM</a>. I rented a Sony 55mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8 from <a href="https://www.talkable.com/x/ECqWAZ">BorrowLenses</a> for Anime Expo in early July. I love both of the rented lenses, but the 55mm is just too expensive at $900. The 85mm is super sharp and a great buy at $600. So I bought the <a href="https://amzn.to/2Agbn2p">Sony 85mm f/1.8</a> for the SDCC trip.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-sdcc-banner.jpg" alt="San Diego Comic Con 2018" /></p>
<h2 id="cosplay">Cosplay</h2>
<p>This year it felt as though some notable cosplayers weren’t at SDCC. There were still some creative cosplays walking around, especially from <a href="https://www.cinemamakeup.com/">Cinema Makeup School</a>. I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do– I did want to spend my time with my niece and family/friends.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-sdcc-cosplay-collage.jpg" alt="San Diego Comic Con 2018 Cosplay Collage" /></p>
<h2 id="celebrities">Celebrities</h2>
<p>I didn’t take as many photos of celebs this year either. I shot mostly with an 85mm prime instead of my usual 70-200mm.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-sdcc-celebrities-collage.jpg" alt="San Diego Comic Con 2018 Celebrities Collage" /></p>
<h2 id="misc">Misc</h2>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-sdcc-misc-collage.jpg" alt="San Diego Comic Con 2018 Misc Collage" /></p>
<h2 id="photo-albums">Photo Albums</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/SunpechPhotography/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1864752583589757">2018 San Diego Comic Con - Cosplay</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/SunpechPhotography/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1864742230257459">2018 San Diego Comic Con - Celebrities</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/SunpechPhotography/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1864736726924676">2018 San Diego Comic Con - Misc</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>It was a tame year compared to previous Comic Cons, which is both a good and bad thing.</p>
<p>What’s great is that fans can get around much easier for panels, exhibits, and offsite shows. This is a big win. And for the lines in the convention, none were as long as they could have been.</p>
<p>What I wasn’t a fan of is no huge announcement or surprise. Maybe the problem is that previous years set a precedent for that. I didn’t even schedule time to watch any of the playbacks– I just showed up there to take a break from walking. So much of coverage gets uploaded onto youTube now within a week anyways.</p>
<p>San Diego Comic Con is still very fun to attend. I think next year when SDCC turns 50 it’s going to be a very big year and celebration.</p>
Anime Expo 20182018-07-12T09:00:00-05:00https://sunpech.com/2018/07/anime-expo-2018<p>Last weekend I was at <a href="http://www.animeexpo.org">Anime Expo</a> (AX). In general it was super fun to be taking photos of cosplayers there again. But it was a crazy hot weekend. It was 100+ ° F every day there!</p>
<p>It’s been three years (2015) since I was at AX. I mostly hung out inside the South hall again. I didn’t see as many cosplayers as I thought I would, and I think that may be because of the heat, and that many notable cosplayers/photographers set up near the Staples Center out West.</p>
<p>I’m glad I started to watch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Hero_Academia">My Hero Academia</a>, as about 25% of all the cosplays were from that anime!</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-anime-expo-south-hall-entrance.jpg" alt="Anime Expo 2018" /></p>
<h2 id="photography">Photography</h2>
<p>I got to fully test out my new mirrorless camera, the <a href="https://amzn.to/2NNJem3">Sony A7III</a> with the <a href="https://amzn.to/2NJPUl7">Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM</a>. I also rented the <a href="https://amzn.to/2Ji1JLV">Sony 55mm f/1.8 Zeis prime</a> and the <a href="https://amzn.to/2NLTX0b">Sony 85mm f/1.8 prime</a> from <a href="https://www.borrowlenses.com/">Borrowlenses.com</a>.</p>
<p>I also used the <a href="https://amzn.to/2NM09oX">Godox AD200 flash</a> along with the <a href="https://amzn.to/2ui9E6Y">MagMod starter kit</a>– specifically the flash diffuser.</p>
<p>I’m putting my Canon gear on the shelf for now– and in some cases sold a few pieces!</p>
<p>In general it was tough to shoot with the 24-70mm GM as it was a bit front heavy for single hand use. The 85mm was also tough as the convention center was pretty crowded– there just wasn’t space to back up for shots. So I stuck to using the 55mm since it was very light and easy to use with one hand. The Sony A7III body was really great to grab focus on the subject’s eye and face.</p>
<h2 id="photos">Photos</h2>
<p>Here are some of my favorite photos.</p>
<p>I made a collage of just My Hero Academia cosplayers.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-anime-expo-my-hero-academia-cosplayers.jpg" alt="My Hero Academia Cosplayers" /></p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-anime-expo-cosplayers-collage-set-1.jpg" alt="Anime Expo Cosplayers Set 1" /></p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-anime-expo-cosplayers-collage-set-2.jpg" alt="Anime Expo Cosplayers Set 2" /></p>
<h2 id="photo-albums">Photo Albums</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1839741252757557.1073741942.408588035872893&amp;type=3">2018 Anime Expo - Day 1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1839747296090286.1073741943.408588035872893&amp;type=3">2018 Anime Expo - Day 2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1839750142756668.1073741944.408588035872893&amp;type=3">2018 Anime Expo - Day 3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1839755759422773.1073741945.408588035872893&amp;type=3">2018 Anime Expo - Day 4</a></li>
</ul>
Deadpool 22018-05-21T09:00:00-05:00https://sunpech.com/2018/05/deadpool-2<p>I watched <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5463162/">Deadpool 2</a> over the weekend and I thought the movie was just okay. The movie was done in a Deadpool way, which is both good and bad. This is my review.</p>
<p>Spoilers below of course.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/deadpool-2.jpg" alt="Deadpool 2" /></p>
<h2 id="the-good">The Good</h2>
<p>The movie is made for comic fans and those familiar with comic book pop culture. Deadpool’s character in the comics and movies is very meta in it’s commentary of comics, pop culture, current events. On top of that, he doesn’t take himself too seriously.</p>
<p>I loved the portrayal of Domino by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5939164/">Zazie Beetz</a>. She’s a perfect companion to all things over the top involving either Deadpool or Cable. When luck is a super power, the writing and action sequences can go just about anywhere.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000982/">Josh Brolin</a>’s portrayal of Cable was also pretty good. He’s jacked and his costume/makeup with the techno organic virus eating at his arm/body looked fantastic. Cable’s story from the comics is incrediblly complex– I can see how they simplified it for the movies and do appreciate that.</p>
<p>We finally see an over the top CG Juggernaut that’s larger than life. The fight against Colossus is something fans have been waiting forever for. I wasn’t surprised by his reveal since I watch too many youTube videos with potential spoilers and analysis before movies come out.</p>
<p>I really wanted to see more of Domino, Juggernaut, and Cable in the movie.</p>
<p>The way the trailers set up an X-Force team up was brilliant. They spent a lot of time advertising one thing that only to obliterate most of the team in five minutes. Again, this goes back to Deadpool writers teasing one thing, but giving fans something else instead– very Deadpool.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/deadpool-2-domino-cable.jpg" alt="Domino, Deadpool, and Cable" /></p>
<h2 id="the-bad">The Bad</h2>
<p>I have a lot to pick with the movie, so here goes:</p>
<p>Since the movie is made for comic fans with a ton of pop culture references, it’s not a movie that will age well nor appeal to a wide audience. What is relevant today may not be obvious in ten or twenty years. There’s a large pre-requisite of having watched so many other comic movies to understand all the jokes made.</p>
<p>I get it that <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458525/">X-Men Origins: Wolverine</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/">Green Lantern</a> were terrible comic book movies that <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005351/">Ryan Reynolds</a> was in. But we’ve explored these themes already from the first Deadpool movie. Seeing more of Hugh Jackman easter eggs and references is just lazy writing.</p>
<p>What makes the Cable/Deadpool team ups work is that the two characters contrast each other. One is serious and has a clear objective, the other is not. But having Colossus in the movie diminished that relationship since it was shared or offset. The movie would have been more balanced if there was less Colossus and more Cable.</p>
<p>I have no idea how Juggernaut was captured and held in the prison. And is he a mutant if there was any kind of power supressing neck collars? In the comics he is not a mutant! Writers need not explore this because, Deadpool. Lazy writing.</p>
<p>The first act of the movie was incredibly slow. The pacing at times was just awkward for an action/comedy. Not all the jokes landed well for me (Example: Star wars and Black Tom). Deadpool’s ambiguous sexuality is pushed a lot, which felt somewhat out of place since his story arc revolves around his love for his dead girlfriend, Vanessa.</p>
<h2 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>Deadpool a movie that you go in to watch, have fun, and then leave it there because it not a movie that advertises anything more or bigger like the Star War or Avengers franchise do. It’s just a Deadpool movie, have fun.</p>
<p>If there is to be third Deadpool movie, I’d like to see a bigger budget and more variety in what he would poke fun at. If it were’t for the CG Juggernaut, a lot of the movie felt like a Netflix budgeted movie release. It doesn’t scream blockbuster movie to me.</p>
<p>I’m curious as to what’s next for Deadpool and the X-Men franchise. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4682266/">New Mutants</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6565702/">Dark Phoenix</a> release dates have been pushed back. The Marvel/Fox aquisition isn’t final yet. Will Disney allow for a rated R franchise? Would it make sense to have Deadpool officially join the X-Men franchise, or is it better off as it’s own do-whatever-it-wants-because-Deadpool-rules? If Deadpool is to join an X-team movie, will his break the fourth wall be a distraction from the narative? So many questions.</p>
Avengers Infinity War2018-04-30T09:00:00-05:00https://sunpech.com/2018/04/avengers-infinity-war<p>Destiny has arrived. I watched the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers: Infinity War</a> twice already and I loved it. The first time was the most emotional and suprising, the second time I caught some dialogue I missed and was more relaxed.</p>
<p>It’s been over three years since <a href="https://youtu.be/L2VoJuVfbjI?t=16m32s">Kevin Feige announced</a> the plans for MCU Phase 3, and ten years since the first movie. This is the culmination of everthing that has come before.</p>
<p><em>Spoilers below</em>.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war.jpg" alt="Avengers Infinity War" /></p>
<h2 id="the-heroes">The Heroes</h2>
<p>The heroes that are in the movie are given an appropriate amount of time. It’s an all-star cast, and the directors, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo_brothers">Russo Brothers</a>, did a great job of balancing and giving everyone their moment to shine.</p>
<p><strong>It’s a prequisite to have watched the previous Marvel movies to really enjoy Infinity War.</strong> There were very few slow moments in the movie, as it was just moving from one place to another with tons of action and adventures. No hero origin or backstory is in the movie.</p>
<p>Below are all the MCU movies to date. <em>Movies in bold are the essential movies to re-watch before Infinity War as they contain information regarding an Infinity Stone or character plot points.</em></p>
<p>Phase One:</p>
<ul>
<li>Iron Man (2008)</li>
<li>The Incredible Hulk (2008)</li>
<li>Iron Man 2 (2010)</li>
<li>Thor (2011)</li>
<li>Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)</li>
<li><strong>Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Phase Two:</p>
<ul>
<li>Iron Man 3 (2013)</li>
<li><strong>Thor: The Dark World (2013)</strong></li>
<li>Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)</li>
<li><strong>Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)</strong></li>
<li>Ant-Man (2015)</li>
</ul>
<p>Phase Three:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Captain America: Civil War (2016)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Doctor Strange (2016)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Thor: Ragnarok (2017)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Black Panther (2018)</strong></li>
<li>Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – Current</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-posters.jpg" alt="Avenger Infinity Wars posters" /></p>
<p>Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America really shined in the movie (ranked in that order mentioned). Thor and Rocket Raccoon had great chemistry with their mission to get Stormbreaker on Nidavellir. Iron Man, Spider Man, and Dr. Strange were fantastic with their mission on planet Titan. Captain America is solid as always with bringing the team on Earth together.</p>
<p>Scarlet Witch and Vision. Tony and Peter. Bucky and Rocket. Starlord and Gamora. Drax and Mantis. It was such a treat to see these heroes interact, crossover, and have their moments.</p>
<p>These are the scenes I cheered and nudged my friends at:</p>
<ul>
<li>Spider Man getting the Iron Spider suit.</li>
<li>Captain America catching Proxima Midnight’s spear.</li>
<li>Thor’s entrance to the battle at Wakanda with Stormbreaker.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="the-villains">The Villains</h2>
<p>Thanos is literally the big bad guy in the Marvel Universe.</p>
<p><strong>He is now the MCU’s best villain</strong>, knocking down Erik Killmonger and Loki. The problem with Marvel villains is that they don’t get fleshed out as characters. They often show up as “the bad guy” and the audience is supposed to accept that with no story as to what motivates them to do what they do.</p>
<p>Killmonger’s father was killed without explanation and he was abandoned to a rough life outside of Wakanda. Loki is the god of mischief– which if you think about it, makes sense for gods to be mischievous considering they live long lives and I would imagine would get bored of ordinary things.</p>
<p>With Thanos, his backstory is that his homeworld was overpopulated, didn’t listen to him, which lead to their demise. Thus his quest to wipe the universe to balance things out.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-thanos-armor.jpg" alt="Thanos" /></p>
<p>The Black Order served their purpose. I really liked Ebony Maw, how he was able to go toe-to-toe with Dr. Strange. I think Thanos might have called him E-Maw after he first meets Dr. Strange on Titan? I was a bit disappointed with Proxima Midnight’s look and especially how de-powered Corvus Glaive was portrayed in the movie.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-black-order-loki.jpg" alt="The Black Order" /></p>
<h2 id="miscellaneous-things">Miscellaneous Things</h2>
<ul>
<li>The opening scene, I really liked how they showcased how strong and powerful Thanos is by having him beat the Hulk easily MMA-style.</li>
<li>Scarlett Witch dropped her heavy accent.</li>
<li>Thanos finally “met the boyfriend” of Gamora and had a moment. He departed away with Gamora saying “I like him.”.</li>
<li>Not sure what the status is of Valkyrie, Korg, and Meek on the Asgardian ship. Can be written about later I guess.</li>
<li>I don’t see what it is about child Gamora that Thanos took a liking to right away.</li>
<li>The scene where Thanos turned Drax into stone blocks and Mantis into strings was a hat tip to the comics.</li>
<li>When Gamora stabs and “kills” Thanos, she also breaks down and cries. This expresses how complex their relationship is. He’s a father figure to her, but he’s also out to destroy the universe.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-thanos-child-gamora.jpg" alt="Thanos and Gamora" /></p>
<h2 id="the-ending-and-post-credits-scene">The Ending and Post Credits Scene</h2>
<p>Thanos assembles the Infinity Gauntlet and snaps his fingers, wiping out half the population of the universe. Infinity War is like the Empire Strikes Back in the original Star Wars trilogy. The good guys need to know what it’s like to lose to come back for a victory in the next movie.</p>
<p>I am uncertain on the status of the Infinity Gauntlet by the end of the movie. It looks burnt and damaged, but it still functioned (snaps fingers and teleported away). Thanos is alone on what looks like a habitable planet/area where he can watch the sunset of a “grateful universe”.</p>
<p>As Nick Fury is ashing out of existence, he contacts someone on his pager. That someone is Captain Marvel. This is a great tease for next year’s movie that takes place in the 1990s. Is she what the Avengers need to turn the tide? We shall see.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/captain-marvel-logo.jpg" alt="Captain Marvel" /></p>
<h2 id="avengers-4-predictions">Avengers 4 Predictions</h2>
<p>The title has been held back, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be called <strong>Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet</strong> or <strong>Avengers: Infinity Crusade</strong>. Also possible they choose a more uplifiting title such as <strong>New Avengers</strong>, but I suspect that is a better Phase 4 title.</p>
<p>Like in the comics, no one stays dead forever. The writers can do whatever they want that serves the purpose of the story and/or character. Those affected by the snap of death will likely return in some fashion. Those that died pre-snap– maybe not so much.</p>
<p>Phase 3 started with Civil War where the Avengers broke up. They need to wrap that up before they advance to Phase 4 for new stories. So the Iron Man and Captain America need to patch up their differences, and it’s quite possible that one or both of them don’t make it.</p>
<p>Dr. Strange said he peered into the 14,000,605 possible futures where only one had them winning. That one most likely had Tony Stark in it, thus why he was willing to trade the Time stone for Tony’s life. Thus Tony will play an important role in the <em>end game</em> of the next movie.</p>
<p>Hulk was unwilling to come out after his loss to Thanos. I see there being a big payout to this in Avengers 4. I didn’t like Bruce Banner praising the Hulkbuster as the suit that kicked the Hulk’s ass. Technically, the Hulk has no upper limit to how strong he gets. The madder he gets, the stronger he gets. It adds some depth to Hulk as not just a big brute that smashes things, but can be afraid too.</p>
<p>I think Shuri was able to back up some of Vision in her lab in Wakanda, but probably not all of him.</p>
<p>Thanos’s sacrifice/murder of his favorite daughter, Gamora, was a pivotal moment in the movie. His action gave him the Soul stone. I can see Peter Quill taunting Thanos– if he was so powerful, why doesn’t he bring Gamora back. In doing so, it would undo the sacrifice and the Soul stone would leave the Infinity Guantlet.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-black.jpg" alt="Avengers Infinity War Black" /></p>
<h2 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>I consider Infinity War to be a huge success for comic book fans and to a degree non-comic-ready-movie-fans, as they finally got a taste of how good the original material in comic books are.</p>
<p>Avengers 3 and 4 was originally announced to be a two part movie. But they changed that since typically movies that are split into two parts aren’t well received– look at Harry Potter and Hunger Games series. It’s just better to market them as separate movies that stand on their own rather than incomplete movies without the other. But Infinity War is a full movie that stands on its own, as it did have a beginning, middle, and end– just not the ending most would have wanted because the bad guy won. I imagine the tone of Avengers 4 will be different, thus a different movie addressing another kind of story and characters.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that they will bring in Celestials, Eternals, and other cosmic beings to really blow open the Marvel universe. It would help mark the end of the Earth based heroes and showcase that the MCU has a whole universe to play with for story-telling, not just Earth ones.</p>
<p>With the Disney/Fox deal still going on, and not finalized yet, there’s a whole slew of properties that could return to Disney/Marvel. X-Men, Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, Galactus, Silver Surfer, Namor, etc. So many other stories to tell!</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-part-1-2.jpg" alt="Infinity War Part 1 and 2 Announcement" /></p>
<h3 id="recommended-reading">Recommended Reading</h3>
<p>If you crave more, below are some of the source material the movie pulls from.</p>
<p>For the best overall best read on the Infinity Guantlet stories, I recommend: <a href="https://amzn.to/2r7FNfr">Infinity Guantlet Omnibus</a>. It is the most complete colleciton of stories in one giant book. This is the first place to start reading.</p>
<p>If the omnibus is too much for you, check out <a href="https://amzn.to/2HzfPIv0">Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos</a>, which details Thanos Quest. Follow that up with <a href="https://amzn.to/2r6zQzb">Infinity Gauntlet</a> and that should be a pretty complete look of where most of the movie drew inspiration from.</p>
<p>For a non-canon story of Thanos, check out: <a href="https://amzn.to/2jdfnFe">Marvel Universe: The End</a>.</p>
<p>To read more on the Black Order, check out: <a href="https://amzn.to/2r6pgby">Infinity</a>. You’ll see how badass Ebony Maw and Corvus Glaive really are.</p>
<p>Even more: <a href="https://amzn.to/2HBjU38">Thanos Rising</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2jgSAIW">The Thanos Imperative</a>.</p>
<p>Below is what my coffee table looks like. Yes, that’s a <a href="https://amzn.to/2r6JuTs">Marvel Legends Series Infinity Gauntlet Articulated Electronic Fist</a>, for adults.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/avengers-infinity-war-coffee-table-2.jpg" alt="My Coffee Table" /></p>
<p><em>Some images for this post was lifted from <a href="https://wall.alphacoders.com/">wall.alphacoders.com</a></em></p>
C2E2 20182018-04-11T09:00:00-05:00https://sunpech.com/2018/04/c2e2<p>This year’s <a href="http://www.c2e2.com">C2E2</a> was by far the largest and busiest I’ve been to. There seemed to be a bigger space rented out for the event over at <a href="http://www.mccormickplace.com/">McCormick Place</a>. I didn’t bother to apply for a press pass this year and just went ahead and bought a 3-day pass. I’ve been denied 2 years in a row now and didn’t feel like applying– perhaps next year.</p>
<p>Like many other comic conventions, C2E2 offers mailing of purchased badges if they are bought before a deadline.</p>
<p>One thing my photographer friends and I noticed is that security is clamping down on their lighting stands and setup. It seems photographers should only setup on the floor space that C2E2 has actually reserved– so the area by the downstairs fountains are off limits now.</p>
<p>This was the year I finally bought the <a href="https://www.wildbillssoda.com/">Wild Bill’s Soda</a> C2E2 exclusive stainless steel mug. I think it looks pretty cool, plus they have soda station setup there for free refills the day of purchase, $5 for any day after anywhere. Costs $25.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-wild-bills-mug.jpg" alt="Wild Bill's C2E2 stainless steel mug" /></p>
<h1 id="panels">Panels</h1>
<p>As like previous years, I tend to focus my time more on panels and celebrity spotlights for C2E2.</p>
<h2 id="syfy-wires-fangrrls---ricky-white-and-yetide-badaki">SyFy Wire’s Fangrrls - Ricky White and Yetide Badaki</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1340638/">Ricky White</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1462340/">Yetide Badaki</a> were on stage at the <a href="http://www.syfy.com/">SyFy</a> Wire stage to talk about <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1898069/">American Gods</a>. I think it’s a very under-rated tv show that people should pay attention to more.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-american-gods.jpg" alt="American Gods" /></p>
<h2 id="the-daredevil-you-know---spotlight-on-charlie-cox">The Daredevil You Know - Spotlight on Charlie Cox</h2>
<p>Spotlight on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1214435/">Charlie Cox</a> and his hit Netflix show: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322312/">Daredevil</a>. During a fan question it was brought up that he was also in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/">Stardust</a>, a good movie based a comic!</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-charlie-cox.jpg" alt="Charlie Cox" /></p>
<h2 id="guardians-of-the-galaxy-with-dave-bautista-and-sean-gunn">Guardians of the Galaxy with Dave Bautista and Sean Gunn</h2>
<p>I went to both panels with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3896198/">Guardians of the Galaxy</a> stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1176985/">Dave Bautista</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0348231/">Sean Gunn</a>.</p>
<p>SyFy Stage
<img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-guardians-of-the-galaxy-syfy-stage.jpg" alt="Guardians of the Galaxy (Syfy stage)" /></p>
<p>Main Stage
<img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-guardians-of-the-galaxy-main-stage.jpg" alt="Guardians of the Galaxy (main stage)" /></p>
<h2 id="legends-of-tomorrow">Legends of Tomorrow</h2>
<p>I haven’t watched <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4532368/">Legends of Tomorrow</a> since the first season. I’m generally not a fan of the CW shows. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746125/">Brandon Routh</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2362068/">Caity Lotz</a>, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0700712/">Dominic Purcell</a> were on hand to talk about the show.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-legends-of-tomorrow.jpg" alt="Legends of Tomorrow" /></p>
<h2 id="this-is---milo-ventimiglia-and-justin-hartley">This is - Milo Ventimiglia and Justin Hartley</h2>
<p>I haven’t watched the show <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5555260/">This is Us</a>, but there were plenty of tears flowing in the audience during this panel with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0893257/">Milo Ventimiglia</a>
and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1261997/">Justin Hartley</a>.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-this-is-us.jpg" alt="This is Us" /></p>
<h2 id="leaves-of-the-wind---gina-torres-and-alan-tudyk">Leaves of the Wind - Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk</h2>
<p>Actors <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868659/">Gina Torres</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876138/">Alan Tudyk</a> were talking about their current and past shows. This was the best panel with the largest audience in the main stage. Tudyk was signing random things for everyone who got up to ask a question from front pages of scripts, books, to old room keys. One takeaway, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/">Firefly</a> is probably never going to be picked up again. Let the past be the past.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-firefly.jpg" alt="Firefly" /></p>
<h1 id="cosplay">Cosplay</h1>
<p>As always, the cosplay keeps getting better every year. This year the Crown Championship of Cosplay wristbands, which lets you into the main stage, was completely handed out by the time I got there around 1pm on Saturday.</p>
<p>C2E2 may be going through some growing pains. I think cosplay, especially with the championship taking place in Chicago, is getting bigger and more crowded. I’d like to have them dedicate a bigger space with good lighting just so cosplayers and can hang out for photo ops. I know they have an area inside the show floor for this, but the lighting and area is not big enough.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-cosplay.jpg" alt="2018 C2E2 Cosplay Collage" /></p>
<p>Here is my favorite cosplay from the weekend. 1977 Darth Vader toy cosplay! I had two Star Wars toys as a kid: Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I lost the plastic saber piece to both of them, so I ended up substituting toothpicks and colored paperclips instead. The cosplayer’s IG is: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tk61281/">@tk61281</a>, if you want to follow his work.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-c2e2-1977-darth-vader-cosplay.jpg" alt="1977 Darth Vader toy cosplay" /></p>
<h1 id="photo-albums">Photo Albums</h1>
<p>Here are links to full photo albums on my <a href="http://facebook.com/sunpechphotography">Facebook Page</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732738416791175">2018 C2E2 - Cosplay</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732736780124672">2018 C2E2 - This is - Milo Ventimiglia and Justin Hartley</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732735986791418">2018 C2E2 - The Daredevil You Know - Spotlight on Charlie Cox</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732734220124928">2018 C2E2 - SyFy Wire’s Fangrrls - Ricky White and Yetide Badaki</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732731590125191">2018 C2E2 - Legends of Tomorrow with Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh and Dominic Purcell</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732725560125794">2018 C2E2 - Leaves of the Wind - Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732719556793061">2018 C2E2 - Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista and Sean Gunn on SyFy stage</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732714690126881">2018 C2E2 - Guardians of the Galaxy with Dave Bautista and Sean Gunn on main stage</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/408588035872893/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1732713086793708">2018 C2E2 - Misc</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h1>
<p>C2E2 is a great con to attend in the Midwest. It gets bigger and better every year. Better security was something that stood out this year, as it was a hassle to do some things like take photos at the main stage or go through a security check point to get in. It’s a hassle, but not a headache like SDCC or Anime Expo.</p>
<p>They seem to have a good social media strategy on their <a href="https://twitter.com/c2e2">@c2e2 (twitter)</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/c2e2/">@c2e2 (instagram)</a>, as the do contests and scavenger hunts the weeks before and during the con. They seem to really care about their fans– especially if you are local to the Chicagoland area.</p>
Black Panther2018-02-19T08:00:00-06:00https://sunpech.com/2018/02/black-panther<p>I enjoyed the Black Panther movie. The story, the characters, and especially the villain was well balanced and defined in this Marvel movie. This is my spoilery review.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/black-panther-2018.jpg" alt="Black Panther" /></p>
<h2 id="the-good">The Good</h2>
<p>The characters were really solid. It’s an all-star cast!</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/black-panther-cast.jpg" alt="Black Panther cast" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4004793/">Letitia Wright</a> is amazing as Black Panther’s sister, Shuri. She was having fun and it really showed. She’s also starred in an episode of Black Mirror: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5058700/">Black Museum</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0430107/">Michael B. Jordan</a> knocked it out of the park as Erik Killmonger. Marvel finally did a villain justice by fleshing out a backstory with motivation for why he does the things he does. As a child, he knows he is from Wakanda and a potential heir to the throne. He returns home to find his father dead with claw marks. All his father wanted to do was help arm his people to fight back. It’s so tragic!</p>
<h2 id="the-bad">The Bad</h2>
<p>I thought the fight sequences weren’t as dramatic as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">Captain America: Civil War</a>. Most notably the final fight between Black Panther and Erik Killmonger.</p>
<p>The problem is that these two individual not only have enhanced physical abilities due to the special herb, they also are wearing vibranium outfits that makes them virtually indestrucible! They could fight for days or even weeks, so the writers had to place the final fight along the CG tracks where the suits would yield/weaken.</p>
<p>I’m being nit-picky here, but the <em>movie physics</em> didn’t make sense. If vibranium is virtually indestructible and aborbs the kinetic energy of objects that hits the suit, then what on earth can knock down Black Panther? I just didn’t understand how Erik Killmonger was able to blast down BP during the scene where Klaw was being broken out.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/black-panther-vs-erik-killmonger.jpg" alt="Black Panther vs Erik Killmonger" /></p>
<h2 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>The movie is a Shakesperean tragedy.</p>
<p>The good isn’t always good, the bad isn’t always traditionally bad. The son, T’Challa, has to make right the wrongs of his father, T’Chaka, for abandoning his brother’s child and covering it up. The audience can understand why Killmonger would seek out revenge and weaponize his people that Wakanda has politically chosen not to be involved with. Erik can be seen as a product of good people making seemingly bad choices.</p>
<p>There is the change that T’Challa must go through to become king, despite his father saying it’s hard to be a good king and a good person at the same time. By the end of the movie, Black Panther chooses his own path to open up Wakanda to the outside world for the first time and to reach out to those that need it.</p>
<p>There’s a lot to unpack in the movie. It can be analzyed for quite some time, and possibly a complaint to be had is that the movie isn’t long enough to delve into everything as much as it could have– considering it’s a movie that’s PG-13 and 2 hour 14 minutes long, which is already long.</p>
<p>I pointed out more “bad things” I disliked than I liked only because there’s a lot going for the movie. It’s a good movie with small imperfections that were easy to point out. But overall I loved the movie and look forward to director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3363032/">Ryan Coogler</a>’s future work.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/black-panther-erik-killmonger.jpg" alt="Erik Killmonger and Black Panther" /></p>
<p><em>Images for this post were lifted from <a href="https://wall.alphacoders.com">wall.alphacoders.com</a>.</em></p>
Movies of 20182018-02-01T08:00:00-06:00https://sunpech.com/2018/02/movies-of-2018<p>This looks like a good year for not just comic book fans, but fans of books and other franchises because there are so many sequels coming out. This is why I dropped doing comic book only movies for my posts and opened it up to all movies.</p>
<p>Here are my top 8 movies that I think will be hits:</p>
<ol>
<li>Avengers: Infinity War</li>
<li>Black Panther</li>
<li>Ready Player One</li>
<li>Incredibles 2</li>
<li>Ant-Man and The Wasp</li>
<li>Deadpool 2</li>
<li>Alita: Battle Angel</li>
<li>Venom</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/2018-movies.jpg" alt="Movies of 2018" /></p>
<h2 id="quick-thoughts">Quick Thoughts</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/">Black Panther</a> - February 16, 2018. The trailers for this movie looks amazing. The MCU gets a little bit bigger with this newest addition.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/">Ready Player One</a> - March 29, 2018. I read the <a href="http://amzn.to/2DTgtTj">book</a> a while ago. The auther, Ernest Cline, really likes the 1980s. And with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7133092/">Steven Spielberg</a> behind the movie, the movie can’t get much bigger. The movie may potentially be better than the book!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers: Infinity War</a> - <del>May 4, 2018</del> April 27, 2018. The culmination of all things, of 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe. The world will finally see how much of a badass Thanos is in the Marvel universe! This is easily the movie I look forward to watching the most. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo_brothers">Russo brothers</a> have done an amazing job with Captain America movies, I expect even better with this movie.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5463162/">Deadpool 2</a> - May 18, 2018 (originally June 1, 2018). I’m a little indifferent about this movie. The first DP movie was fantastic, but we’ll see if they get Cable correct or not.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/">Solo: A Star Wars Story</a> - May 25, 2018. Don’t know much about this movie as no trailers have been released yet. I also don’t care. I really liked The Last Jedi and would rather see the Star Wars movie franchise move forward with new characters than tell old stories.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606756/">The Incredibles 2</a> - June 15, 2018. Pixar rarely disappoints.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4881806/">Jurrassic World: Fallen Kingdom</a> - June 22, 2018. Nothing will ever beat the first JP movie. I just like seeing dinosaurs on the big screen.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5095030">Ant-Man and the Wasp</a> - July 6, 2018. I’m not a fan of Ant-Man or the Wasp really, but this movie is a big action/comedy piece that fits well in the MCU. It’s a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and just go to have fun watching.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3829266/">The Predator</a> - August 3, 2018. I will watch anything with Alien or Predator in them. I love the sci-fi/action/horror genre they sit in.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270797/">Venom</a> - October 5, 2018. Also don’t know much about this movie. Fox really screwed up Venom in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413300/">Spider-Man 3</a>. But it stars <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362766/">Tom Hardy</a> who makes good movies. We shall see.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6565702/">X-Men: Dark Phoenix</a> - <del>November 2, 2018</del>. February 13, 2019. Again, I really dislike what Fox does to the Marvel characters in their movies. They have no plan or vision– their movies are generally trash. Like Venom, they are trying for the second time with Phoenix.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4123430/">Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald</a> - November 16, 2018. I have to watch it just because it’s part of the Potter-verse.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5848272/">Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2</a> - November 21, 2018. I really enjoyed the first <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/">Wreck-it Ralph</a> movie. But non-Pixar animated sequels tend to be so-so movies that doesn’t have the charm of the first.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/">Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</a> - December 14, 2018. Doesn’t seem like this animated movie is part of the MCU in any way. Looks good, but Marvel has traditionally released sub-par animated movies compared to DC.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/">Aquaman</a> - December 21, 2018. I’ve given up on the DCEU. But I’ll watch the movie anyway.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437086/">Alita: Battle Angel</a> - <del>July 20, 2018</del> December 27, 2018. I read this manga as a teenager way back. I don’t remember much, but I welcome more manga/anime based stories into Hollywood.</p>
Star Wars The Last Jedi2017-12-20T04:00:00-06:00https://sunpech.com/2017/12/star-wars-the-last-jedi<p>I loved <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/">Star Wars The Last Jedi</a>. The movie is brilliant. I’ve only watched it once as of this posting and I plan on watching it a few more times to catch all the little things I may have missed.</p>
<p>Spoilers below of course.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/star-wars-the-last-jedi.jpg" alt="Star Wars The Last Jedi" /></p>
<h2 id="empire-and-return">Empire and Return</h2>
<p>The movie has similarities to both <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080684/">Empire Strikes Back</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086190/">Return of the Jedi</a>.</p>
<p>The dark tones are similar to Empire. The failure of Luke Skywalker and the entire Jedi Order was touched upon. By the end of the movie, the Resistance <em>aka Rebels</em> were crushed to a group that fits on the Millennium Falcon.</p>
<p>Snoke’s character and throne room was reminiscent of Emperor Palpatine’s. Him bringing Kylo and Rey to fight each other also a callback to Return of the Jedi.</p>
<p>Our heroes took their hits just like in Empire, and it ended with a view out into the stars with hope.</p>
<h2 id="new-and-different">New and Different</h2>
<p>The Last Jedi also introduced new characters in a story that had so many twists and turns that I could not predict anything! I just enjoyed the ride instead of trying to figure out the plot.</p>
<p>I really liked how they focused on other characters besides the Jedi. There are other heroes in the stories besides those that are force users. <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Poe_Dameron">Poe Dameron</a>, best pilot in the Resistance has his struggles with leadership. <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Finn">Finn</a>, a First Order defector– has some qualm with <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Phasma">Captain Phasma</a>, although his origin story is still unexplored. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Hux">General Hux</a> had his funny moments– a break from the serious generals of the Empire.</p>
<p>So many women had memorable moments in the movie. <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Amilyn_Holdo">Amilyn Holdo</a> self sacrifice was amazing and beautiful. <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rose_Tico">Rose</a>, a maintainance worker that admired Resistance heroes saved Finn from foolishly sacrifing himself. Rose’s sister <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Paige_Tico">Paige</a> actually sacrificed herself by dropping the payload on D’Qar.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/star-wars-the-last-jedi-vanity-fair-covers.jpg" alt="Star Wars The Last Jedi Vanity Fair Covers" /></p>
<h2 id="fans-be-hating">Fans be Hating</h2>
<p>Star Wars fans are never happy with movies. From Jar Jar Binks, the script’s bad dialogue, midichlorians count, too much CGI, too many releases, Han shot first, etc– fans have complained about everything. They even put forth a petition to remove the movie from canon. See: <a href="http://comicbook.com/starwars/2017/12/18/star-wars-the-last-jedi-canon-petition-/">Fans Start Petition To Remove ‘The Last Jedi’ From ‘Star Wars’ Canon</a>. <em>Note, the OP has since stepped back from the petition and urges others to find better causes.</em></p>
<p>The biggest complaint is how <strong>Luke Skywalker</strong> was portrayed. Some say <em>he would never</em> think to kill or hurt his nephew. Luke would never think his nephew Kylo would be irredeemable, considering what Luke went through with his own father Darth Vader.</p>
<p>They have a point, from a certain point of view.</p>
<p>The problem is that we put Luke Skywalker on a pedestal. He is a childhood hero of many people. The thought of our beloved hero not succeeding is blasphemous.</p>
<p>But his character is flawed. It is within his character to raise his <em>laser sword</em> on impulse or fit of rage. We saw that in Empire when Luke left Dagobah to help his friends when his Jedi training was incomplete. In ROTJ he almost loses it when fighitng Vader when he baited him out of the darkness with a comment on how he could turn Leia to the dark side.</p>
<p>Star Wars has dark things that people overlook for the story and fantasy elements.</p>
<p>Anakin Skywalker, as Darth Vader murdered young padawans. He hunted and killed fellow Jedi. He also ordered the destruction of an entire planet and it’s people. We are talking about mass genocide here. Yet his son Luke wanted to save him and saw the <em>good</em> in him. Turning Darth Vader was also necessary to defeat the Emperor too.</p>
<p>And Kylo wanted to be like his grandfather. Sure, he was swayed by the dark side, but that’s not an excuse for his desire to be a mass murderer.</p>
<p>So it’s believable for Luke to give up on his nephew considering the death and destruction he’s had to deal with before. I don’t think many people are going out there saying they would be okay with someone who was involved with killing billions of people on a planetary level.</p>
<p>Luke’s story arc is similar to Yoda’s and even Obi-wan after <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/">Revenge of the Sith</a>. Their big failures led them to live as hermits. All of them had students that turned to the dark side. Perhaps this is part of the flaw of the Jedi religion, this pattern of self imposed exhile to meditate and be one with the force.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/star-wars-yoda-obi-wan-luke-hermits.jpg" alt="Star Wars Hermits" /></p>
<h2 id="not-happily-ever-after">Not Happily Ever After</h2>
<p>Bad parenting and adulting is all over in the current trilogy. Han and Leia didn’t have a functional family with their son. I guess that’s to be expected, considering that Leia has been a princess, politician, and general in a war all her life. Han is a dirty smuggler that cheats for a living. It seems they were not there for Ben Solo, leaving it to Luke to train him, and ultimately fail.</p>
<p>That happy ending in ROTJ didn’t last long. There couldn’t be since there’s Episodes 7-9 and 10-12 following with who knows how many more. The war and conflict continues, always.</p>
<p>Rey’s parents were drunks that sold her off. I think it’s true, as it lends itself to the the other underlying theme that you don’t have to be a royalty or come from a special bloodline to be a force user or part of the Resistance.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/star-wars-the-last-jedi-mirror-sides.jpg" alt="Star Wars The Last Jedi Mirror Images" /></p>
<h2 id="miscellaneous">Miscellaneous</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/g00/wiki/Knights_of_Ren?i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8%3D&amp;i10c.ua=1">Knights of Ren</a> were present in the flashbacks in The Force Awakens, but were completely absent in this movie. Maybe in the blu-ray release there will be scenes that didn’t make the cut.</p>
<p>There should have been more backstory on Finn, Captain Phasma, and expecially Snoke. For a 2.5 hour movie, some time should be given to these new characters, ableit the latter are two are probably dead now. Phasma looks great, but I mostly just see her stand or walk into a scene– she barely has any actual action. What a waste.</p>
<p>The Canto Bight casino story felt a little long considering the their transports were under heavy fire and they were running out of… fuel. I didn’t think starships back then used fuel to do space travel.</p>
<p>The scene where Luke was milking the local creature and drinking it fresh was just odd. I’m just not sure what they’re trying to say other than that Luke really has to live off the land there.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/DJ">DJ</a> character seemed rather annoying and incomplete. The stuttering and oddity didn’t work for me. However I did like how he pointed out that the filthy rich made their money from selling weapons and ships to both the First Order and Resistance. This is an interesting bit that was added. Now the arms industry has been introduced. I’m not sure if they are going to expand on something so complex going forward or not. But at least we know it exists.</p>
<p>I initially found <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BB-8">BB-8</a>’s take over of the First Order’s mech unit to be funny, but then it felt a bit much for a droid to do. I was hoping it would be DJ to redeem himself in some way, like Lando. But when in doubt, BB-8 is used to be the hero’s way out.</p>
<p>I really hoped they would get more into the <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gray_Jedi">Gray Jedi</a>, those that walk between the light and dark.</p>
<h2 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>Fans have a right to be upset with The Last Jedi. Their childhood heroes are almost all but gone from being main characters in future Star Wars movies. If they choose not to be a Star Wars fan or support it anymore that’s their choice. They can vote with their wallet.</p>
<p>There is a part of me that doesn’t want to see Princess Leia, Han Solo, or Luke Skywalker exit the Star Wars universe. With <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000402/">Carrie Fisher</a>’s death last year, I wasn’t ready to see her on the big screen for the last time.</p>
<p>However, we can also celebrate the movie for what it is– a bold move to leave the past and venture into new territory. That is one of the main themes of the movie, to move on and not live in the past. I’m not interested in seeing the same characters in the same time period where there are limitations on what they can and cannot depict. We need new characters and stories to tell.</p>
<p>Star Wars has been around for 40 years now. The first trilogy came out in 1977. The second trilogy, the prequels, came out in 1999. And the third and current trilogy came out in 2015. There are going to be fans that weren’t alive for the previous trilogies. For many fans out there, this is going to be the Star Wars trilogy for them, their heroes and their different struggles. And there’s a fourth trilogy already in the works.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/star-wars-the-last-jedi-wide.jpg" alt="Star Wars The Last Jedi" /></p>
<p><em>Images for this post were from <a href="https://wall.alphacoders.com/">wall.alphacoders.com</a>.</em></p>
Justice League2017-12-08T08:00:00-06:00https://sunpech.com/2017/12/justice-league<p>I am pretty disappointed in the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/">Justice League</a> (JL) movie. I went in with low expectations since it is a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0811583/">Zack Snyder</a> movie that was finished by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0923736/">Joss Whedon</a>. I’ve reviewed <a href="/2013/06/man-of-steel-review">Man of Steel</a> and <a href="/2016/03/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-review">Batman vs Superman</a> where I’ve complained about Snyder as a director. Despite Whedon’s involvement, JL suffers more of the same– great visually with unappealing characters and story.</p>
<p>Spoilers below of course.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-team.jpg" alt="Justice League" /></p>
<h3 id="what-i-liked">What I Liked</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2933757/">Gal Gadot</a> looks amazing as Wonder Woman. She’s the best thing about the team. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0147147/">Henry Cavill</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000255/">Ben Affleck</a> also look great as Superman and Batman respectively. The costumes on Flash and Aquaman are detailed and work for me as well.</p>
<p>The entire Justice League teaming up to fight Superman was great at showcasing how Superman is as powerful as Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg combined!</p>
<p>My favorite scene in the movie is where Superman was able to follow the Flash’s super speed. The look on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3009232/">Ezra Miller</a> as the Flash realized that Superman could keep up with him was quite funny.</p>
<p>It’s great that the WB is trying to soften up the DCEU, aka the Snyder-verse.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-wonder-woman.jpg" alt="Wonder Woman" /></p>
<h3 id="what-i-disliked">What I Disliked</h3>
<p>The dialogue and story are terrible, as it didn’t advance the story or character development. The story was one chunk getting the team together and resurrecting Superman. The other chunk was fighting against the parademon invasion. The jokes and jabs had me facepalming quite a bit. I would describe it as <em>TV show level bad</em>. What I mean by that is that the quality of the scene, dialogue, and even camera shot is budgeted for a TV show, not a movie franchise.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-wonder-woman-whedon.jpg" alt="Wonder Woman" /></p>
<p>I didn’t understand the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Why was Superman so pissed when he came back to life?</li>
<li>Why did the dirt rise up from Superman’s grave at the end of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">Batman vs Superman</a> if they required the motherbox and the Flash to resurrect Superman?</li>
<li>Why did Superman’s <em>death</em> trigger Steppenwolf to do the invasion? Why not invade during the thousands of years before Superman ever arrived on Earth?</li>
<li>If Steppenwolf could teleport directly to the motherboxes, then how exactly was the one owned by man hidden and unreachable? He telported to Themyscira and Atlantis with ease!</li>
</ul>
<p>The theme songs of Superman and Batman felt cheap. Sure, they were a a great throwback for those of us that remember the 1980s and 1990s, but <strong>the problem was that those moments weren’t earned</strong>.</p>
<p>The backstory of the motherboxes made the movie like Lord of the Rings where there were three races, the Amazons, the Atlanteans, and mankind– all trying to find/hide some ultimate power. It just took me out of the DCEU and I thought I was in some other fantasy universe.</p>
<p>The characters felt out of place of what I know of the comic book characters. The past success of Batman movies led WB executives to think that they should keep doing gritty Batman-like movies for all the DC characters! The DC movies as of late are pretty bad compared to the DC animated movies that have come out. The animated movies succeed because they are committed to the stories and characters from the comics. <strong>The current DCEU movies do not honor enough source material.</strong></p>
<p>I don’t see how <strong>Superman</strong> would ever care about humanity. Jonathan Kent said that maybe he should keep his powers secret at the expense of people, including himself, dying. Martha Kent told her son that he <em>doesn’t owe the world anything</em>. Why is he a hero again? His <em>parents</em> don’t instill in him a sense to care about humanity.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/man-of-steel-jonathan-kent.jpg" alt="Jonathan Kent" /></p>
<p><strong>Batman</strong> is the world’s greatest detective. One of the joys of seeing detective work is seeing how the case gets evaluated and solved. That didn’t happen here. Bruce Wayne had to steal the files on JL members from Lex Luthor. His million dollar security system was broken into by Wonder Woman. Again and again we see that Batman isn’t on top of anything.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-batman-black.jpg" alt="Batman" /></p>
<p><strong>Wonder Woman</strong> is inconsistent. In Batman V Superman she was absent from the world for a while, then rejoined to fight Doomsday and appeared to enjoy the battle. Then in her Wonder Woman movie, she seemed curious about the world of man and wanted to help. But in Justice League she was everywhere to help as if she was helping the whole time. I know many are on the Wonder Woman hype train this year, but I just want to put out there that maybe in a few years we will look back at see that idea of a female super hero is long over due, but the movie itself wasn’t amazing.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-wonder-woman-black.jpg" alt="Wonder Woman" /></p>
<p>I don’t see <strong>Aquaman</strong>. I see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597388/">Jason Mamoa</a>. Perhaps he was just too good as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khal_Drogo">Khal Drogo</a> from Game of Thrones. His character is under-developed and doesn’t resemble any Aquaman comic I’ve ever read.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-aquaman-black.jpg" alt="Aquaman" /></p>
<p><strong>Flash</strong> is just comedic relief. Very little backstory is given about him. His explanation to Batman that he’s never fought anyone before and only pushes people and runs away was just bad. Batman having to convince him to just save one person to get him to try was just <em>TV show level bad</em>.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-flash-black.jpg" alt="FLash" /></p>
<p><strong>Cyborg</strong>’s CGI is distractingly bad and looks unfinished. The scene where Cyborg and Flash were digging up Superman’s corpse was also <em>TV show level bad</em>.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-cyborg-black.jpg" alt="Cyborg" /></p>
<h3 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h3>
<p>This is the fifth movie in the DCEU, and I’m out of excuses to give WB to make a DCEU that fans can care about. Stories are about the human experience, and their movies fails convince me that I should care about the protagonists.</p>
<p>There is a part of me that would like to see the Snyder version of the movie completed and released, even if it’s a three hour version. I may not like Snyder’s storytelling, but having Whedon’s influence mix is still a mess. I rather go with a single director’s vision than two.</p>
<p>Is a reboot in the near future? If they choose to do a [Flashpoint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashpoint_(comics) reboot, I will be disappointed (again) since it’s supposed to tell a story of a darker universe– which they seem to already be in! But they may not have a choice given the poor response to their movies.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/justice-league-full-team.jpg" alt="Justice League Full Team" /></p>
Thor Ragnarok2017-11-08T08:00:00-06:00https://sunpech.com/2017/11/thor-ragnarok<p>I really liked <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/">Thor: Ragnarok</a>. By far it was the best Thor movie from the MCU and maybe even the best Marvel movie of 2017. There’s not much to complain about in the movie. Spoilers ahead.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/thor-ragnarok-blue.jpg" alt="Thor Ragnarok" /></p>
<h3 id="what-i-liked">What I Liked</h3>
<p>The movie is a blend of <a href="http://amzn.to/2yF7Qtd">Planet Hulk</a> and Ragnarok story from the comics. Since Marvel can’t do Hulk movies– due to movie rights sitting with Universal, they just incorporated one of his best stories in with Thor’s to make a buddy space adventure and comedy movie.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/planet-hulk.jpg" alt="Planet Hulk" /></p>
<p>It’s a very funny movie. There’s a lot of action and adventure in exploring the Marvel universe, but there’s so much comedy sprinkled everywhere. It’s a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and is very open to poking fun at themselves. This movie addresses a lot of the problems with the previous Thor movies– too much of the setting taking place on Earth, being too serious, and Thor (main character) not teaming up with other Avengers post Avengers movie.</p>
<p>The colors used throughout is amazing. It really does remind me that the setting isn’t on Earth and is very <em>other worldly</em>.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/grandmaster-loki.jpg" alt="Grandmaster and Loki" /></p>
<p>The casting is fantastic. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000156/">Jeff Goldblum</a> as the Grandmaster was hilarious. There’s no way an elder of the universe can live for so long and not be quirky in some way.</p>
<p>The brotherly relationship of Thor (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165110/">Chris Hemsworth</a>) and Loki (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1089991/">Tom Hiddleston</a>) was expanded upon.</p>
<p>Director, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0169806/">Taika Waititi</a> really put the actors in the movie to good use with their strengths.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252961/">Idris Elba</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1935086/">Tessa Thompson</a> were also great in the movie. Perhaps the reason that Lady Sif (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1526352/">Jaimie Alexander</a>) was left out of the movie was because of the role of Valkerie. Probably same reason Jane Foster (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000204/">Natalie Portman</a>) was quickly cut from the franchise.</p>
<p>It’s great that Hulk finally got more lines in a movie. As great as and actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0749263/">Mark Ruffalo</a> is, I’d rather see Hulk form than Bruce Banner.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/thor-ragnarok-hulk-talk.jpg" alt="Thor and Hulk talking" /></p>
<h3 id="what-could-be-better">What Could be Better</h3>
<p>The serious parts of the movie could be better. The deaths of Odin (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000164/">Anthony Hopkins</a>), and Warriors Three seemed too short. There wasn’t much time to have an emotional moment before the next scene or gag came along.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000949/">Cate Blanchett</a> is amazing as Hela– but I wish there was more of her in the movie. Like many Marvel movies, they are quick to prop up the villain, but not enough of a deep dive into why they are so bad. Hopefully this gets addressed properly with Thanos in Infinity War.</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/thor-ragnarok-hela-purple.jpg" alt="Cate Blanchett as Hela" /></p>
<h3 id="final-thoughts">Final Thoughts</h3>
<p>Thor Ragnarok is fantastic. It feels like a blend of Guardians of the Galaxy comedic space team with the sci-fi adventure of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Metal_(film)">Heavy Metal</a>. The movie is a transitional film in the big picture aspect of where the MCU is going– some heroes are now dead or out of the picture, Asgard went through Ragnarok, Mjolnir was destroyed– things are no longer the same.</p>
<p>We are now one movie away before <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/">Avengers Infinity War</a>. What will <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/">Black Panther</a> have to say right before IW when our heroes are up against the power of the Infinity Gauntlet?</p>
<p><img src="/public/images/blog/thor-ragnarok-colorful.jpg" alt="Thor Ragnarok's Colors" /></p>
<h4 id="youtube-reviews">youTube Reviews</h4>
<p>Here are some recommended youTuber channels I watch almost every day. Their thoughts on Ragnarok are pretty spot on.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DuHrH3g3c">Thor Ragnarok Avengers Infinity War Easter Eggs and References</a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/emergencyawesome">Emergency Awesome</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSsHTUdmUT4">The Best Easter Eggs You Missed in Thor Ragnarok! (Nerdist News w/ Jessica Chobot)</a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Nerdist">Nerdist News</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GJJpyFc-M">Thor Ragnarok SPOILERS Movie Review</a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondTheTrailer">Beyond the Trailer</a></li>
</ul>